Serial Productions

What Serial Productions does

Serial Productions is a narrative podcast production studio that creates long-form, investigative audio series for general consumers of audio journalism. The company was founded in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show This American Life, with its flagship podcast 'Serial' pioneering the serialized investigative format that reshaped the medium. Its catalog includes 'Serial' (multiple seasons), 'S-Town', 'The Retrievals', 'The Trojan Horse Affair', 'Nice White Parents', 'The Kids of Rutherford County', 'The Good Whale', 'The Preventionist', 'The Idiot', and 'The Last 12 Weeks', spanning true crime, criminal justice, medical justice, education, and environmental storytelling.

The studio is built on a lean production model with 11-50 employees, leveraging editorial talent (including Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder) and recurring partnerships with organizations such as The Marshall Project. Distribution is global and free to listeners via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other directories, and since 2020 the company has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company, anchoring its reach and monetization within NYT's subscription and journalism platform.

Revenue derives from embedded podcast advertising and, indirectly, from supporting The New York Times Company's subscription acquisition and retention through high-profile audio content. The company has won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast, and remains active as of 2026 with a steady cadence of new series and franchise extensions.

Name

Serial Productions

Legal name

Serial Productions

Website

https://serialpodcast.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Serial Productions is a narrative podcast studio producing long-form investigative audio series for general listeners, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company since 2020 and known for the 'Serial' franchise and award-winning investigative series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Production

NAICS

All Other Publishers (513199)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFAIAE

Audio Production & Podcasting

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Content Marketing & Production (Copy, Video, Design)

SECONDARYMPADADAD

Investigative & Journalism Documentaries

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

SECONDARYMPADADAB

Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

Keywords

• Narrative podcasts
• Investigative journalism
• Audio storytelling
• True crime podcasts
• Documentary audio

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue (via NYTimes): Serial Productions operates as a subsidiary of The New York Times Company, generating revenue through the broader subscription-based business model of the parent company. Their podcast content supports subscriber acquisition and retention for NYTimes.
2. Podcast Advertising: Podcasts generate advertising revenue through embedded ads within podcast episodes, common in the podcasting industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Serial Productions produces long-form, narrative investigative podcasts delivered as audio series to general consumers. The portfolio includes the flagship "Serial" franchise alongside series such as "S-Town," "The Retrievals," "The Last 12 Weeks," "The Idiot," "The Preventionist," "The Good Whale," "The Kids of Rutherford County," "We Were Three," "The Trojan Horse Affair," "The Improvement Association," and "Nice White Parents," covering true crime, social justice, medical ethics, criminal justice, and human-interest storytelling. Content is distributed free to listeners through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and The New York Times platform.

Product overview

Serial Productions is a narrative podcast production company that creates investigative and storytelling audio series. The company, acquired by The New York Times in 2020, produces multiple podcast series including the flagship 'Serial' franchise and numerous other investigative series such as 'The Idiot', 'The Retrievals', 'The Last 12 Weeks', 'The Good Whale', 'The Kids of Rutherford County', 'We Were Three', 'The Trojan Horse Affair', 'The Improvement Association', 'Nice White Parents', and 'S-Town'. The portfolio includes true crime investigations, medical justice stories, social justice exposes, and family narratives. Shows have won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Serial The flagship narrative podcast that tells one true story over the course of each season, hosted by Sarah Koenig; originated the modern serialized investigative podcast format. Audience is general consumers of narrative journalism.
• S-Town Standalone narrative podcast about a man in Alabama who despises his town; distributed via Serial Productions and major podcast directories for general listeners.
• Nice White Parents Five-part podcast series from Serial Productions and The New York Times about building a better school system; for general listeners interested in education and social issues.
• The Improvement Association True-story podcast about election fraud, produced by Serial Productions; targets general listeners of investigative journalism.
• The Trojan Horse Affair Podcast series investigating the origins of a mysterious letter that caused a national scandal; aimed at general listeners of investigative journalism.
• We Were Three Podcast series telling a story of lies, family, America, and the impact of Covid; for general listeners of human-interest investigative storytelling.
• The Retrievals, Season 1 Five-part narrative podcast series exploring events at a Yale fertility clinic; for general listeners of medical justice investigative storytelling.
• The Kids of Rutherford County Four-part podcast series investigating how a Tennessee county was arresting and illegally jailing hundreds of children; for general listeners of criminal justice investigative storytelling.
• Serial Season 4: Guantánamo Season 4 of 'Serial' providing a history of Guantánamo told by people who lived through key moments; for general listeners of investigative journalism.
• The Good Whale Limited podcast series from Serial Productions and The New York Times about the science experiment to return Keiko the orca to the ocean; for general listeners of documentary storytelling.
• The Retrievals, Season 2 Season 2 of The Retrievals, exploring why patients feel severe pain during C-sections; for general listeners of medical justice investigative storytelling.
• The Preventionist Podcast series investigating why families in the Lehigh Valley are losing custody of their children; for general listeners of social-justice investigative storytelling.
• The Idiot Five-part true crime podcast hosted, written, and reported by M. Gessen, based on her cousin Allen's story of being arrested for attempting to hire a hitman; for general listeners of true crime narrative podcasts.
• The Last 12 Weeks Five-part podcast series produced with The Marshall Project about a death row case and the final weeks before an execution; for general listeners of criminal justice investigative storytelling.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• This American LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerial Productions originated in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show This American Life. The 'Serial' podcast, which launched the narrative podcast phenomenon, was created by the team behind This American Life.
• The Marshall ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerial Productions collaborated with The Marshall Project on 'The Last 12 Weeks', a five-part series on the death penalty and criminal justice system.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• iHeartPodcasts: Largest US podcast publisher by download volume, including true crime and investigative shows; comparable as a distribution-and-production incumbent, though broader and less premium-narrative focused than Serial Productions.
• Audacy (Cadence13 / Pineapple Street): Major radio and podcast operator that acquired Pineapple Street Studios and Cadence13; comparable as a large-scale home for premium narrative podcast IP and distribution.
• The New York Times (Audio / The Daily): Parent of Serial Productions and operator of 'The Daily' and other NYT-branded podcasts; comparable as a premium journalism-driven audio organization, though broader in scope and cadence.

Emerging players

• Crooked Media: Independent podcast network (Pod Save America) producing narrative and political audio; comparable in scale and editorial-led positioning, but skews toward political commentary rather than investigative true crime.
• PRX (Radiotopia): Public radio exchange that runs the Radiotopia narrative podcast network (e.g., 'Reply All', 'Ear Hustle'); comparable in mission-driven, story-first podcast production and public-radio lineage.

Direct peers

• Gimlet Media: Narrative and documentary-style podcast studio (acquired by Spotify in 2019) known for serialized storytelling; same premium-investigative positioning and similar post-acquisition operating model under a large media parent.
• Wondery: Premium narrative podcast studio (acquired by Amazon in 2020) producing serialized true crime and investigative audio; directly comparable to Serial Productions in format, audience, and parent-company distribution leverage.
• Pushkin Industries: Founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, Pushkin produces premium narrative and documentary podcasts (Revisionist History, Cautionary Tales); directly comparable in editorial ambition and high-production-value format.
• Pineapple Street Studios: Independent narrative podcast studio behind 'The Clearing', 'Missing Richard Simmons', and 'Wind of Change'; comparable in long-form investigative storytelling and limited-series format.

Others

• This American Life / WBEZ: Cradle of Serial Productions (2014 spinoff) and ongoing creative partner; the most direct editorial and talent ancestor, with overlapping producer and reporter DNA across shows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/serial
• Facebookfacebook.com/serialpodcast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Serial Productions